The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South

Posted on by

A people s history of Southern food that reveals how the region came to be at the forefront of American culinary culture and how issues of race have shaped Southern cuisine over the last six decadesTHE POTLIKKER PAPERS tells the story of food and politics in the South over the last half century Beginning with the pivotal role of cooks in the Civil Rights movement, noted authority John T Edge narrates the South s journey from racist backwater to a hotbed of American immigration In so doing, he traces how the food of the poorest Southerners has become the signature trend of modern American haute cuisine This is a people s history of the modern South told through the lens of food.Food was a battleground in the Civil Rights movement Access to food and ownership of culinary tradition was a central part of the long march to racial equality THE POTLIKKER PAPERS begins in 1955 as black cooks and maids fed and supported the Montgomery Bus Boycott and it concludes in 2015 as a Newer South came to be, enriched by the arrival of immigrants from Lebanon to Vietnam to all points in between.Along the way, THE POTLIKKER PAPERS tracks many different evolutions of Southern identity first in the 1970s, from the back to the land movement that began in the Tennessee hills to the rise of fast and convenience foods modeled on Southern staples Edge narrates the gentrification that gained traction in North Carolina and Louisiana restaurants of the 1980s and the artisanal renaissance that reconnected farmers and cooks in the 1990s and in the 00s He profiles some of the most extraordinary and fascinating figures in Southern food, including Fannie Lou Hamer, Colonel Sanders, Edna Lewis, Paul Prudhomme, Craig Claiborne, Sean Brock, and many others.Like many great provincial dishes around the world, potlikker is a salvage food During the antebellum era, masters ate the greens from the pot and set aside the left over potlikker broth for their slaves, unaware that the broth, not the greens, was nutrient rich After slavery, potlikker sustained the working poor, black and white In the rapidly gentrifying South of today, potlikker has taken on new meanings as chefs have reclaimed the dish.Over the last two generations, wrenching changes have transformed the South THE POTLIKKER PAPERS tells the story of that change and reveals how Southern food has become a shared culinary language for the nation.Music Copyright c 2012, Lee Bains III New Download The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South [ Author ] John T. Edge [ Kindle ePUB or eBook ] – kino-fada.fr Yesterday, the individual who occupies the American presidency referred to the nations of Africa, Central America and Haiti as shitholes A few things related to The Potlikker Papers came to mind as I considered the stupidity of the racist who now is responsible for leading this nation He obviously has no idea of history Slaves from Africa built this country and American cuisine would be unthinkable without their essential contributions to its heritage.I lived in New Orleans during the most Yesterday, the individual who occupies the American presidency referred to the nations of Africa, Central America and Haiti as shitholes A few things related to The Potlikker Papers came to mind as I considered the stupidity of the racist who now is responsible for leading this nation He obviously has no idea of history Slaves from Africa built this country and American cuisine would be unthinkable without their essential contributions to its heritage.I lived in New Orleans during the most integral years of my life If you re from south Louisiana, then you know that gumbo is the culinary Holy Grail It s a dark stew that literally defines the region Everyone claims to know where to get the best My favorite is filled with shrimp, oysters and crab But there are also great chicken and sausage versions And I can still tase the version with chicken neck bones the chef at a restaurant I worked in ...3.75 stars The Potlikker Papers is largely about the politics of food who eats high on the hog, who eats low on the hog, who owns the hog and how that hog was raised The first 180 pages alone are worth the price of admission, and I hope they spark a renewed interest in Civil Rights figures such as Fannie Lou Hamer who I thought I knew something about, but I learned a whole lothere and Georgia Gil, a previously unsung hero of the movement.Edge does a marvelous job of documenting the 3.75 stars The Potlikker Papers is largely about the politics of food who eats high on the hog, who eats low on the hog, who owns the hog and how that hog was raised The first 180 pages alone are worth the price of admission, and I hope they spark a renewed interest in Civil Rights figures such as Fannie Lou Hamer who I thought I knew something about, but I learned a whole lothere and Georgia Gil, a previously unsung hero of the movement.Edge does a marvelous job of documenting the changes in Southern food culture from the 1950s into the 1980s and 90s The chapter on fast food in particular really gets at how foodways evolved during this period Fast food, frozen ...An excellent read if you want to knowabout food, the South, or both Edge explores food in the South from the 1950 s through the 2010 s, and discusses various influences on cuisine I ve lived in Tennessee my entire life 55 years , and this book explores the background of foods, chefs, and restaurants in ways I ve never known about For example, how did Hurricane Katrina affect the food and restaurants in New Orleans I was very interested to learn how the ancestors of slaves had an impac An excellent read if you want to knowabout food, the South, or bo...2.5 stars I feel guilty for settling on a rough, ungenerous rating for this book, because I did like it for many of its qualities Solid, thorough history documented research interspersed with personal interviews a discussion of race, socioeconomics, immigration, etc and overall a complex undertaking of the relationship between history and Southern food Super interesting stuff and a topic I didn t know too much about.Unfortunately, this started out really well but developed into a slog for 2.5 stars I feel guilty for settling on a rough, ungenerous rating for this book, because I did like it for many of its qualities Solid, thorough history documented research interspersed with personal interviews a discussion of race, socioeconomics, immigration, etc and overall a complex undertaking of the relationship between history and Southern food Super interesting stuff and a topic I didn t know too much about.Unfortunately, this started out really well but developed into a slog for me to read about halfway through I think I lost interest when I realized that the dry writing style of John T Edge would continue on for another 150 pages This read exactly like I expected a historical nonfiction book to read, which isn t exactly a good thing pretty dry, a few goo...Maybe it s because in 2017 it feels like understanding the South is key to understanding America, or because I grapple with the meaning of being black and woman and Southern and choosing to mostly identify as the latter , or the fact that like jazz, I think Southern food is America s gift to the world, for all those reasons andI thoroughly enjoyed this history surprisingly fast paced or maybe it just felt that way because it was highly engaging of Southern food as it is known and bette Maybe it s because in 2017 it feels like understanding the South is key to understanding America, or because I grapple with the meaning of being black and woman and Southern and choosing to mostly identify as the latter , or the fact that like jazz, I think Southern food is America s gift to th...It isn t that The Potlikker Papers is a bad book, but it also isn t a Food History of the Modern South It is a social, cultural, and political commentary onto which a few food trends and fads are loosely tied That isn t a bad thing, necessarily In truth, I found it well written with some interesting vignettes However, I think the author could have greatly benefited from a class discussing differences in correlation and causation Just because two trends occupy the same general time frame d It isn t that The Potlikker Papers is a bad book, but it also isn t a Food History of the Modern South It is a social, cultural, and political commentary onto which a few food trends and fads are loosely tied That isn t a bad thing, necessarily In truth, I found it well written with some interesting vignettes However, I think the author could have greatly benefited from a class discussing differences in correlation and causation Just because two trends occupy the same general time frame doesn t mean each is causally related For example, was the increase in farms, growing your own food, and a resurgence of...Potlikker is the liquid left in the pot after boiling greens like collards or mustard During slavery, the owners would dine on the greens, while the liquid in the pot was left for the slaves to consume This potlikker is farnutritious than the boiled greens and modern Southern chefs have reclaimed it The Potlikker Papers is a social history of food in the American South and how the food the South is known for, from fried chicken to hopping John to gumbo to po boys is a result of the Afr Potlikker is the liquid left in the pot after boiling greens like collards or mustard During slavery, the owners would dine on the greens, while the liquid in the pot was left for the slaves to consume This potlikker is farnutr...More of a social history spiced with food than a book on food illustrated by social history, I enjoyed the commentary of how Southern food had evolved in multiple directions over time Be it New Orleans or Charleston or BBQ or Creole or Low Country, the cooks of the South have adapted or made do as my grandma would say It was interesting that everyone Colonel Sanders to Craig Claiborne to Paula Deen to Bill Neal ...I am hungry The Potlikker Papers made me hungry Also made me want to buy a bunch of cookbooks Edge s anecdotal history of the south and food is fabulous Some very interesting points and great connections I discovered Southern Cooking when I was eighteen and living with my great uncle and aunt in East Texas My maternal grandparents were from North central Texas with heavy southern roots When they...Using the lens of food, this book examines the south from the Civil Rights Movement until today Edge takes cooks and chefs usually from an era, and using their story as a grounding, explores their era, environment and traditions It s an interesting book if you re interested in food, especially if you like tracing the evolution of dishes and cuisines Having a grounding in the history of the times and places he was discussing was helpful but certainly not necessary to enjoying this book.Also, Using the lens of food, this book examines the south from the Civil Rights Movement until today Edge takes cooks and chefs usually from an era, and using their story as a grounding, explores their ...

The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South
  • 23 April 2018
  • Audio CD
  • 1524736198
  • John T. Edge
  • The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South